Fort Sumter National Monument

This was fantastic. Loved the fort, museum, and gift shop. 90% of the bricks are original! The ferry ride is only an hour to the fort and back to land.

This is a great NPS (National Park Service) historical sight that is a must-​see for anyone visiting the area.
Full of history, Fort Sumter is really where the American Civil War began. Decades of growing strife between North and South erupted on April 12, 1861, when Confederate artillery opened fire on this Federal fort in Charleston Harbor. Fort Sumter surrendered 34 hours later. Union forces would try for nearly four years to take it back…
You will have needed to have taken a ferry across Charleston Harbor, from Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center (at Liberty Park, close to downtown) to get there.
For more info, here is the NPS website —
You can reserve/​book online, then when you get to the visitor education center, you’ll need to check-​in. Arrive early to check out the visual displays on its history.
The ferry ride seemed like a good half hour or so, and it was really pretty to cross the harbor; you can see the subtle skyline of downtown Charleston, as well as the Arthur Ravenel Bridge, from a distance.
You get to self-​tour the fort itself, yet you’ll get to also see/​meet rangers at various points. You can see a few old cannons, another museum, a small gift shop, and a great view of the harbor (the best part!). Also, close to 4 pm, they have a flag-​lowering ceremony.
Lots of history surrounds this place, and you can see it in the thickness of the walls! The ferry ride, though, was really made the visit worthwhile and worth the money at 5-​stars.

Excellent US National Park — the visitors’ education center, while small is full of information for all ages. Our younger son completed the Junior Ranger badge to add to his collection. If have you have school-​aged kids and don’t already know about the Junior Ranger program do yourself a favor and look it up!
Be sure to leave an hour to check out the visitors’ center prior to taking the ferry to Fort Sumter itself. The exhibits are fascinating and informative. It’s a 30 minute ride over to the Fort, with lots of great background provided. You tour the Fort for about 60 minutes. Again, leave time to see the small museum that’s on the island. If your pressed for time and can choose only one I would choose the visitor center, you’ll get all the history and save the time of a boat ride.
I imagine that during peak season it’s a little tough to get tickets, so you might want to consider advance bookings online.

I’m a huge fan of the US National Parks and Monuments. It is so important to protect these amazing parts of history, and Fort Sumter is right up there as one of the most important. As the location of the very first shots of the Civil War, it played an important part in that war.
Getting to Fort Sumter involves taking a boat trip from the mainland, much like getting to the Statue of Liberty. An expert historian gives a talk on the trip, and is available to answer questions. The guy we had was very knowledgeable indeed, and clearly passionate about history. It was nice to listen to him.
The boat journey is great! We saw several dolphins in the water, and got some great views of the city. The fort itself is also excellent. Of course, park rangers are on hand to answer questions, and there are endless photo ops.
I can only recommend Fort Sumter. 5 stars. Photos to follow.

We enjoyed our Fort Sumter experience when we traveled to Charleston. We visited in July and it was very hot on Fort Sumter the day we visited– keep that in mind if you are not a fan of the heat as the indoor space is not huge. One of the limitations of the tour is that you have a limited time on the fort– it is only 1 hour once you arrive– that was barely enough time for us– and we had to sort of rush through the museum. Overall, I thought the experience was enjoyable– they sell snacks and drinks on the boat ride over, and the tour guide who spoke once we got to the fort was really knowledgeable and interesting. I would highly recommend this trip if you are in town and want to check out a historically significant location.

In order to get to the Fort Sumter National Monument you have to go by boat, and for that purpose you best and actually the only way of doing it is by boarding the Fort Sumter Tour Boat.
As for the fort itself, don’t expect a whole heck of a lot. After all, the place was actually never completed, was then bombarded day and night, pretty much blown to shreds, then with the offshore blockade ended up being of little strategic value, and of course was never rebuilt. So what you see today is a mere ghost of what it was before it was pretty much obliterated by continued bombardments.
Some of the walls are still there, incredibly thick, various cannons used to defend it, albeit rather unsuccessfully, and a new museum. However the museum is mostly a walk through having various notations concerning the fort but doesn’t contain much in the way of actual civil war relics. There is a small, and I do mean small gift ship with some chip souvenirs most of which you can find in town at lower prices.
To see everything and walk the entire area only takes about two hours at maximum. Though one of those historic places everyone should see, it’s one of the ones that I would only care to see once as it really doesn’t amount to that much. As far as civil war relics and so forth, you’re better of going to the Charleston Museum and for civil war battle history, Gettysburg.

Visited Fort Sumter during a trip to Charleston. The Visitor’s Center did a good job of explaining the leadup to the clash at Fort Sumter in 1861. Paid the fare and was scheduled for a ferry tour of the National Monument itself. During the boat ride, the guide pointed out points of interest in the bay. Once on Fort Sumter, there was one presentation by a Park Ranger that went over the siege, surrender, and recapture of the fort by the Federal forces. Then we left to our own devices to explore the fort and its points of interest. You really could get a feel of the historical interaction that happened there. A must see if you’re visiting Charleston!

Any student of history or any teacher should visit the state site this is where the Civil War began and my next stop after Fort Sumter will be Gettysburg the beginning of the end there’s lots of bathroom facilities the boat coming over here with A tour is $ 17 for seniors $ 19 for adults and it takes about two hours

I’m a sucker for historical places, especially forts, so it’s kind of surprising that I’ve never been to Fort Sumter before. We made up for it during this trip to Charleston. The boat ride was very pleasant, and we got a lot of information about the history of the fort. Once we got to the island, we got a lot more information from a very knowledgeable park ranger. Charleston is a very historic city, and Fort Sumter practically bleeds history.

Everything was great until the end. Trying to buy water from the gift shop and the computer broke. Waited 15 min and left. Very warm day so water was important.

This Was Awesome! Talk about a must for a history buff (me). We were in town on a rainy day (followed a storm into town) but couldn’t resist going out to the Fort anyway. We barely made the last ferry out and were with a group of about 6 people (including my husband and myself).
The rangers were very friendly and we even got a bit of a guided tour since we were the only people on the island. Walking around was great since we were practically alone and the history of the fort is of course, amazing.
I recommend going when it’s raining if you want to enjoy the fort in peace. Then again, I don’t know how busy it is when it’s not raining.
Here here to the USA! Here here to the Union!

Awesome Awesome Awesome. Don’t like the elevators and the modern technology but I understand that they had to. The boat ride is nice kind of long but worth it. They have a snack bar on board or you can bring drinks or food with you.

Ride
Ferries,
See dolphins,
Read lots of signs
To learn more about the opening shots.

I dig. This is the best fort to visit in the immediate area. I would have absolutely no problems giving this a five-​star rating, with the exception of a couple of things.
1. If you are a person that has to read every word on every sign at a historic site, you WILL NOT have enough time to finish seeing everything. Sorry, but you will have to use your speed reading skills. (I got through everything but scanned most.)
2. The elevator to the second level is currently out of order. If you are unable to climb stairs, this tour will be very limited.
3. C’mon guys. $ 18 for an adult to ride over? $ 11 for a kid isn’t bad, and I understand that goes (or is supposed to go) into boat maintenance, fuel, pay the NPS, yada yada yada, but still.
Other than that, it’s a great experience with loads of great views. I’ll go back.

Where it all started… good stories!
It is a good price for an hour of a cruise ride on the Charleston Harbor and an hour on the fort. I thought it would be a little boring but it wasn’t at all. The cruise was a little long, but after walking around the city while it was 90+ degrees it was nice.

My second stop on my Civil War history tour was Fort Sumter. I mean, this is where it all started. I will be honest, I had no freakin’ clue that this was out in the harbor guarding the entrance. I am not entirely sure what I DID think it was, but I just assumed it was on the coast on land or something. Instead it is a man-​made island. The thought that they knew how to man-​make an island back then just trips me out. But I digress.
We left from Charleston and you get on a big three deck boat to ride over there. The day was windy and I looked like a total ragamuffin by the time I got off that boat but the views of the aircraft carrier, the Battery, and the Fort itself were awesome from the water. This part is worth it even if you don’t like Civil War history. Plus, DOLPHINS in the water! Awwww so cute. While riding out there, they point out places of interest and give you tidbits of history regarding the fort.
Once you get there you are allowed to walk around for about an hour. It was raining when we got there so we got underneath some cover and took pictures of the huge cannon that remain there. When it rained harder we visited the museum and read the history. Really liked the old flags in there that were flying at Fort Sumter back then. There isn’t really a lot to see inside the fort itself, but it is more about imagining it. Imagine it with much higher walls. And looking out the windows to shoot your cannons at your own countrymen. And how it was used to allow blockade runners in to keep the Confederacy effort going. It is something everyone learns about but it really comes in more clearly when you are standing there where they stood all those years before.
After your hour is up you get back on the boat and they drop you off where they found you. On the boat they will show you the picture they took of you before the tour and try and get you to buy it. As I mentioned before, the wind had kicked my hair up into a frenzy and the sweaty walking really didn’t help matters so my half of our picture was TERRIBLE. So of course my friend bought it because a) he looked good in it and b) I looked hilariously terrible. That’s how friends do one another. And that’s why I love him. Ha!
If you are in Charleston, I’d say this is a MUST DO. I know it is a «tourist» site but it is more than that… it is a place to remember a very horrible part of our history and to feel what it might have felt like all those years ago.

Even if you don’t know much about history, I’m sure you’ve heard of the Civil War. Fort Sumter played an important role during that time and was the site where the first shots of the war were fired. It’s definitely a must see if you’re in Charleston.
For $ 18, you go on a 30 minute ferry ride to and from the island, and spend about an hour exploring. There’s not much to do there but it was incredible to stand and imagine what it was like there in 1861. The majority of the brick still standing is from the 1800s, and there’s even a few shells stuck in the wall that were left over from the siege on the fort. The park ranger spends about 15 minutes explaining the history and then you’re free to wander the island. There’s also a museum on the fort if you wish to learn more.

I’m a history buff, so Fort Sumter has always held a special appeal. There may not be much to look at in the way of buildings or amory, but just standing in the center of the parade grounds, where the first shots of the Civil War landed, is an unforgettable experience.
The visit to the Fort, either by way of Patriots Point or downtown Charleston, takes a little over two hours, including the 30-​minute ferry ride to and from the island dock. Once inside the walls, you’ll have about an hour to explore, snap photos, listen to a brief Park Ranger talk, and visit the small but excellent museum inside Battery Huger, a massive black structure built atop Sumter’s remains in the late 1800s.
While an hour seems like a lot of time to be on the small island, believe me – it will pass quickly. There may not be a lot to see inside the ruins of this once-​massive structure, but there is a lot to FEEL. By the time the magnitude of this place begins to settle in, it will be time to board the boat for the trip back.
So soak it all in. Imagine the moment on April 12, 1861, when shells from Confederate warships began falling on the spot where you’re standing. Then take a moment to think about what would follow: four more years of a nation ripped asunder, and the struggle to repair the breach.
Fort Sumter is one of America’s most important historical monuments. And it’s a location every American should make a point to visit.

A must visit in Charleston! The boat ride alone (about 30 minutes each way) is worth the trip — it was absolutely gorgeous out on the water in late October. Ferry tickets can be bought online in advance. The whole process was smooth, organized, and without complications.
The fort itself is small but the views and history make the trip a must. The docents are fabulous too — so knowledgeable, friendly, and personable. Also, the Civil War Museum inside the fort is exquisite — there are some artifacts in there I was truly blown away to see.

In order to see Fort Sumter, you need to take a boat ride — that can be either good or bad, depending on your interest. Unfortunately for most, it also means standing in one more line. If you have your own transportation (that is, your own boat), you can use it, but most don’t, so there are ferries available near downtown Charleston.
Once you’ve arrived, the fort itself, like most from the era, is fairly crumbling, and there isn’t a lot there — some brick walls and a few cannons and the like. Yes, there is some history, some rangers that can provide some information and plenty of mosquitos. But for those who aren’t into collecting forts for their belt?
It’s probably simpler to go to the Battery to see cannons, or go to Fort Moultrie to see a fort. The ride may or may not be worth the trip. While a worthy destination, you can get most of the information elsewhere. And avoid the mosquitos.